2011 marks the 40th anniversary of the release of Billy Joel's first solo album, Cold Spring Harbor, and Columbia/Legacy Recordings will celebrate the occasion with a definitive reissue project of newly restored and expanded Legacy editions of the complete Billy Joel catalog, newly curated collections of rarities from the vaults, previously unavailable studio tracks and live performances, home video releases and more.

The first-ever career-spanning single disc distillation of Billy's Top 40 chartbusters & signature smashes, The Hits provides a critical index to some of the most beloved and abiding pop songs of our era.

Between the opening cut, “Everybody Loves You Know” (a deep track from 1971's Cold Spring Harbor) and “The River of Dreams,” the Grammy-nominated classic that closes the collection, The Hits charts a course through 30+ years of American pop music and culture through the eyes and ears of an artist who defined the times.

Among the upcoming releases in the Columbia/Legacy Billy Joel 40th anniversary commemoration will be Billy Joel – Live At Shea Stadium, a 2CD/DVD and stand-alone Blu-ray edition of Billy's historic 2008 Shea Stadium concerts, a Legacy Edition of the 1973 Piano Man album, a Complete Albums Collection featuring 14 of Billy's original albums with a bonus disc collecting 16 non-album tracks and more.

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“The Last Play At Shea,” a documentary feature film tracing the intersecting histories of a landmark urban stadium, a beloved underdog baseball team and an American musical icon will play on 120 movie theater screens across the country on Thursday, October 21. For tickets and more information, please visit www.TheLastPlayatShea.com

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The Fox Network's hit series “Glee” featured Billy Joel's “Piano Man” in its first season, performed by Matthew Morrison (“Will Schuester”) and Neal Patrick Harris, and “Only The Good Die Young” in its second, sung by Mark Salling (“Puck”) with more of Billy's music in forthcoming episodes.

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Rock Band is excited to offer a new Billy Joel edition of the popular video game, providing a masterful keyboard experience of his music to fans around the world through two downloadable game packs: a “Hits” pack of 12 songs arriving in December 2010 followed by a 6-song “Piano Challenge” pack in the spring.

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The ultimate fan destination for all things Billy Joel continues to be BillyJoel.com